The folks over at 4Moms developed Goodnight Sleep Trainer, to help parents develop good sleeping habits for their children. Even better news, in honor of Mothers Day, they are having a contest and you could be the winner of a $2500 cash prize. Just for entering the contest (limited to the first 150 entries), you will automatically win a Goodnight Sleep Trainer.

I am 26 weeks pregnant, with my second child, and it still amazes me that a baby is inside my womb. It’s weird because I go through the motions of pregnancy: going to midwife appointments, taking prenatal vitamins, looking at baby items, but it does not hit me that I am really pregnant, until I hear the heartbeat, or feel the baby move and kick me in places, I wish she would not. It’s one of those unexplainable things that I cannot describe in detail because you would have to experience it yourself.

With my first pregnancy, everything was so quick, and I was so new to everything, it just felt as if I couldn’t really absorb anything, and I just had to go along with it. This time around, it has been a little different. I ask more questions, I am more alert, and I know that I want to be in control, not being controlled by everybody, other than myself.

The first couple months, I was well aware I was pregnant because I was extremely nauseous. You go through the motions of going to midwife appointments, doing lab work, and of course, the ultrasound which shows your fetus growing (which I do not take for granted, by any means), however, the first moment that made me cry, was when I heard the baby’s heartbeat. I just laid there in awe, listening to the heartbeat that was inside of me, it’s unlike anything else. I still get emotional thinking about it. For me, it was the moment where I said to myself, “I am the mom to this baby.” Instantly, my motherly instincts kicked in and I wanted to protect it and just do everything and anything for this baby.

Now, that I am 26 weeks into the pregnancy, the baby has made sure I know her personality, really well. I am pretty much being jabbed and kicked right now, as I speak. Her presence is definitely here and strong. It started with twirling movements, to little kicks here and there, and now she is a full fledged karate kid. But with every kick and every movement, I feel a special bond that is only between her and I.

As I look down at my ever slight stomach (I carry really small), it makes me smile and say ,”She is truely a miracle!”

Babystyle is having their final last days sale and you can get a really good deal (up to 50% off everything and 10% extra on maternity wear). Please check out their website for location information: www.babystyle.com.

Also, I just got an email from The Bumble Collection and they will be opening up their outlet, for a limited time. They will be holding a sale for their Limited Edition Warmer/Stroller Liners with Bear, which comes in Emerald Palace and Midnight Garden prints.

Bumble Outlet: Products available for sale on the site can range from items that are slightly flawed to items that are a discontinued seasonal favorite. Blemishes of the slightly flawed product may include: tags sewn on the wrong place, manufacturer markings, minor hardware defects (scratches, missing pieces, changing pads). None of the flaws would affect the basic overall functionality of the item. Their primary purpose of creating The Bumble Outlet was to find an alternative way to reach out to organizations in need. A portion of the proceeds incurred from this site will benefit many charities such as Horizons Homeless Children.

In honor of National Tax Day, April 15th, there are some big chains giving away some free stuff. With our economic state, I think we all need a relief. I am one of those anxious people to see what’s free on tax day. I came across the U.S.A Today site which outlines what will be free on tax day and this was the compiled list:

•Free ice cream. MaggieMoo’s Ice Cream and Treatery will give away single-scoop servings to customers at 200 stores in what it calls an “e-cone-omic ice cream stimulus package.”
•Free sweets. Snack chain Cinnabon will give out Tax Day Bites, free bite-size cinnamon rolls usually known as Classic Bites, from 5 to 8 p.m. at its 700 outlets on tax day.
•Free tacos. At its 275 restaurants in the West, Taco Del Mar will run a promotion: “Taxes Suck. Tacos Don’t.” People can register at the Taco Del Mar website for an e-mailed coupon for a free tax day taco.
•Free gift cards. T.G.I. Friday’s will give Wednesday customers $5 Bonus Bites gift cards for food and beverage purchases of $15 to $25 and $10 cards for those who spend more than $25. Members of the 1,000-outlet chain’s frequent-customer

The closest chain to my home is the Cinnabon, so I will treat my daughter to some classic bites tomorrow. Hope everyone got there taxes in on time, or got that extension!

While I was on a mission to find resusable ziplock bags, I also found another innovative green alternative. They are called Lunch Skins and are made by a company appropriately named 3 green moms. Just as the name states, they are a mommy start up company that was started by three mommas. They wanted an alternative to ziplock bags that were reusable, durable, washable, and fun for the kids. They wanted to waste less and save more.

Happy Easter! Hope everyone had a good Easter Sunday. I spent time with my hubby, my mother, my daughter, as well as my closest friends. We all went to Easter Brunch and pretty much stuffed ourselves silly. My daughter saw some Easter Eggs laying around as decorations, and she thought that it was part of an Easter Egg Hunt (she did one at school). She was looking under tables, next to trees, on the tables, and then I had to break it to her, that they were just for decoration purposes. Anyhow, I really enjoyed my time eating, laughing, and just having simple conversation with my closest friends and family.

Today, I prepared some snacks and goodies for a local homeless person in my neighborhood. When it comes holiday time, I always try to give something to the homeless, whether its food, a card, a book, a meal at a restaurant, or just some inspiration.

I went outside in my neighborhood, with my daughter, and we carried around a huge bag looking for a homeless person. I saw a gentleman who was sitting on the side of CVS and he clearly had both legs in a cast and a huge black garbage bag next to him. He just had such a clear spirit about him. I went up to him and asked him if he would like some snacks for the day, and he nodded his head. I gave him the bag and he said, “You’re giving me this whole bag?”, and I said “Yes, it’s all for you.”

As I was walking away, he just continued to stare at me in awe, and I could feel his appreciation for what was given to him. When he opens the bag, he will see a card that has a flower on it, with the message, “Happiness should belong to you always”-Adele Basheer. I wrote in there, “Happy Easter! May your days get brighter and brighter. God loves you. Keep Strong and have faith.”

It just puts a smile on my face that I could put that same smile on another person’s face. I know my daughter really didn’t know what was going on, but she could sense that we were doing something good and making someone happy.

When my daughter started pre-school, I walked over to Rite-Aid and purchased some ziplock bags. After a week of using these ziplock bags, I felt that it was just a waste and I was contributing to our world’s landfills. I always try to be eco-conscious and do my part in keeping our world as clean as possible. My daughter’s lunchbag is reusable, her SIGG water bottle is reusable, but putting her sandwich in a ziplock bag, defied the whole purpose. So again, I went on a mission to find a reusable alternative to ziplock bags, and came up with snackTAXI.

SnackTAXI, originally “happy-sacks” started when a mother realized that after packing 500 lunches every year, between her three children, the plastic ziplock bags were just flowing from her house to the landfill. She then came up with what’s now called snackTAXIs. They can be used to put sandwiches, cookies, fruits, veggies, you name it, it does the job. I will no longer have the guilt of putting another ziplock bag in my daughter’s lunch bag.

Another great thing about snackTAXI is that it’s all made in their home-based workshop by local sewers. What a great way to contribute to the local economy. When companies contribute to the local community, it says a lot about the company’s integrity, their values, and their core foundation.

I put the snackTAXI to the test, and my daughter loved it. She said it was like opening up a birthday card or a present. It’s not only functional but gives another whimsical layer to a child’s meal. When I put her PB&J sandwich in the plastic ziplock, it came back unopened and uneaten. When I put her PB&J sandwich in the snackTAXI, it came back empty. I am ecstatic!

You can wash them in the washing machine, but its best to wash with hands and dry by air (just like our hair). It comes in three sizes: the snack-sacks, the sandwich sacks, and the lunch sacks. It’s made of 100% cotton and has very cute patterns that meet every taste. Prices are $6.95, $8.95, and $15.95. It will save you money and your world, in the long run. Please visit their site and support their business: www.snacktaxi.com.

(Disclosure: Product was provided free of charge for review purposes and does not affect my views or feedback of the product.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

Please take a minute to nominate me on MomLogic. You do have to join, but it takes a few minutes, and you will be helping out a fellow momma and this fabulous blog. After you sign up, head to my profile: http://community.momlogic.com/profile/mommasinthehouse and comment on my wall with “I nominate you.” Thanks to all!

Introducing the Lila Bean Nursing Covers. An all in one nursing cover that’s easy to use and even functions as a front carrier cover, a car seat cover, and a stroller cover. I never knew that nursing covers could be so multi-functional and beautiful. When I opened up the package, my jaw dropped open because I didn’t know that nursing covers could be so beautiful. I felt like a kid in a candy store. I immediately wanted to start nursing, although I still have a good 3 months before I do that. The Lila Bean nursing cover takes out the frustration of trying to nurse in public places. I remember when I had my daughter, my options were very limited and I either went into the car or the restroom. At that time, there were nursing covers on the market, but they were so dreadful looking and had such ugly patterns.

I came across Lila Bean when I was looking for nursing covers that were worthy of putting on. Lila Bean really puts nursing covers on the map. The concept began when the founder, Charlotte Butler Penenberg, took matters into her own hands. After trying to nurse her own daughter at a busy restaurant by using a napkin that kept falling off, she knew that she wanted something that would make nursing easier in public, as well as being relaxed. Then she came up with her own wish list of what sort of cover-up she wanted and then she thought, why couldn’t this be fashionable? With all that in mind, the Lila Bean nursing cover was born.

To me, nursing is such a beautiful experience, where mother and baby bond. Sometimes, nursing in public places become distracting, loud, and frustrating. It takes away from the true experience between mother and child. With Lila Bean nursing covers, it enables you to nurse, feel comfortable, and be at ease, even in the most distracting places, such as the mall. Lila Bean takes it two steps further by making the nursing cover multi-functional, as well as chic. What I love about the cover is that it fastens around the neck (no wind will blow it off), as well as an elastic seam around the outer edge that keeps the noise and distractions out. Plus, go to the website: http://www.lilabean.net/ , you can see all the beautiful prints that these covers come in, and for the poshiest mommas, it comes in silk (wow!).

I put the cover to the test with a nursing mother at a park and asked her a couple questions:

MH:What do you like most about the Lila Bean nursing cover?
NM: I love that it separates my baby from all the noise from the outside. Also, I like that it’s very secure around my neck. I’m very self-conscious when I nurse in public, and I hate using blankets because it gets so hot sometimes and this cover allows air to pass while I have my own privacy.

MH: How would you compare this nursing cover to anything you have seen on the market?
NM: I really can’t compare because you can use this cover even beyond nursing. Just as you showed me on the website, you can use this to cover a stroller neatly, cover my baby in her car seat, etc. I definitely have not seen that in other nursing covers.

MH: Would you spend $65 to purchase this nursing cover, why or why not?
NM: If this was just any average nursing cover, I would not spend that much money. But this cover offers you beyond the average nursing cover. I could use this cover beyond my nursing years, which in time translates to saving money.

While I was asking her questions, her baby spit up some milk, and she let me know that it was the first time she was not embarrassed because no one could see that the baby spit up. So if you are in the market to getting a nursing cover that takes it beyond the average nursing cover-up, that’s also multi-functional, and chic, please check out Lila Bean nursing covers. It’s also momma owned, so let’s support our fellow momma!

Side Note: I just washed the nursing cover this morning in the washing machine, and it came out just as new as when I got it in the package. A definite plus in my book!

(Disclosure: Product was provided free of charge for review purposes and does not affect my views or feedback of the product.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)